Strikeforce, Vol. 1: Trust Me

Strikeforce (2019) #1

by Tini Howard, German Peralta (Illustrator), Jacopo Camagni (Illustrator)

Prepare for Asgard's answer to X-Force! From the mind of rising star Tini Howard comes a tale of the underside of the Marvel Universe! The Dark Elf King Malekith has finally gotten his just deserts after his failed War of the Realms. But in the vacuum left by one of Thor's greatest villains, a new threat arises -one that will require a team of heroes accustomed to darkness. Angela, Blade, Spider-Woman, Wiccan, the Winter Soldier, Monica Rambeau and Daimon Hellstrom join forces for a monsterific bloodbath across the realms!

COLLECTING: STRIKEFORCE (2019) 1-5

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, LGBT, Ebooks

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2020

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of disparate Marvel characters band together after some Asgardian shapeshifters replaced them and then framed them for stealing viruses. So they hit the road to track down the shapeshifters. The story is REALLY muddled. It's never clear what the end goal of the changelings or Strikeforce is. Tini Howard continues to write comics that underwhelm.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Tini Howard has put together a nice team here (with the exception of Angela... lord, how I wish Marvel wouldn't keep shoving this character into everything) and the plot is fast-paced with high stakes, with nice art and even a little humour (which I think is always good in a horror book). I'm really looking forward to seeing where this is going.

Also, I'll take all the Spider-Woman I can get.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uhhhh Why did no one tell me Jess is back on a team? WITH FUCKING BLADE AND WICCAN! COME ON NOW.

Seriously, I expected nothing from a comic titled after a mobile game (I love this game btw) and the oddest team maybe ever. However, it almost 100% worked in ways I never expected.

So we have Blade as the leader of this new Supernatural team. After most of them have been framed by shapeshifters, he decides to work with them to find out what's up. Of course every turn they make a new mystery appears. Even by the end it still unclear who and why this is happening but the team won't give up.

Man...this was so fun. I love the interactions in this comic. Stuff with Wiccan and the team is so funny. Jess is the best, and her little backstory was scary in here. I love the hell out of Blade, and him as a leader is badass. The art team did solid work with some cool fighting moments and great design. Overall, only the last issue is a bit confusing and messy but the rest was so good. A 4 out of 5.

[nati · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This comic was amazing I-
I need the next volume 🤧

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this! This comic was a blast to read!

I remember Howard's work on a Cap story a while back and I really liked their style then. This book is no exception! People think it's easy to write a team book, but it's really not. I think what makes a great team book is putting together a good combination of powers that complement each other - as well as personalities that interact in an interesting way. Quite often, team books are just powers and plot, no real personality or interactions. Howard managed to get all of the elements that make team books fun to read!

The plot was interesting and the stakes make all of the urgency feel earned.

THe team is a line up one wouldn't expect to see: Blade, Spider-Woman, Angela of Asgard, Wiccan, Spectrum, the Winter Soldier and Daimon Hellstrom. None of their personalities are similar and they all interact in a way that makes sense. Everyone was in character, the jokes land really well and I never got bored of the small moments of downtime. I loved how their abilities were utilized well! Blade's sword work and strategy, Angela's combat prowess and knowledge fo history, Wiccan's magic, Bucky's combat and stealth skills, Spider-Woman's pheromone powers and fighting skills and Daimon's magic. Spectrum's abilities were used really, really well! She's so powerful in this book and we love to see it! :)

So, this was such a great read! I'm excited to read what comes next! Definitely a recommend from me :)

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out really strong, but it quickly derailed into a plot that was extremely hard to follow. I couldn’t tell you what was happening in the final issue; but I’m sure it’ll read smoother back to back than month to month. I feel like this book really relies on the reader already knowing and caring about the core cast too, because it does nothing to make the reader invested in them here. I only picked this book up because I love the Wiccan character and was excited to see him on a team roster. I hoped I would be drawn into the plot and grow to love the other characters too, but... can’t say that happened, sadly. I may skim the forthcoming volumes just to see what happens with Wiccan, but I won’t be reading monthly anymore. 3/5 stars.

[Sans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I bought this strictly hoping Angela and Bucky would be BFFs because that’s the team up my queer heart needs and deserves. I have no idea what is happening but I’m willing to stick around for the ride for now.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the fallout from War Of The Realms, Blade finds himself forced to work with Angela, Spectrum, Spider-Woman, the Winter Soldier, and Wiccan to defeat a shapeshifting fairy invasion, which would be bad enough, but the Hellstrom siblings are in their way as well!

I didn't have particularly high expectations for this one, but they were definitely exceeded. The combination of characters works, despite the fact that they really shouldn't, and the reason for them working together and not involving anyone else is actually pretty clever. The plot does take a bit of a swerve in the final issue which seems to be the beginning of a new story, so the volume ends with a cliffhanger (although it has some of my favourite characters involved, so I'm looking forward to how they resolve that one).

The art is predominantly German Peralta, who's pretty good. His figures can come across a bit static at times though, which is disappointing. Issue 4 is a bit of a jam session, with some guest artists telling some flashbacks, while Jacopo Camagni pencils issue 5, in a much cleaner and more dynamic style than Peralta - it's a bit of a problem when a fill-in artist outshines the series artist.

Strikeforce is fun. It's probably not going to go down in history as one of Marvel's better experiments, but it made me chuckle a few times, and the plot line was fairly intriguing. Good, solid, three star stuff.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like lately Marvel has been doing a lot of these books where they take minor characters with absolutely no connection and make them into a team just so the characters are in use. Most of them are very bad. This one actually wasn't! Not too bad and I'll keep reading through the next volume, at least.

[Scratch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pleasing, but baffling.

The title of the book is new. There have been no previous incarnations of "Strikeforce" I am aware of, based on my 27 years of reading Marvel comics. Yet the tone of this title feels older. A ragtag team of superheroes with little connection between each other are thrown together, and with minimal bickering on the subject, all agree that they should fight bad guys and protect the innocent. It's refreshing. A blast from the past.

That being said, I could see where a critic could argue that there isn't enough reason for these heroes to stick together and continue working in secret. They barely have a team name (it is mentioned in issue #5 and characters explicitly express confusion over it), they have no funding or official base, and most team members are veritable strangers to each other.

Still, I love it. And a lot of that is because whoever put this team together chose to use some of the slightly more obscure characters. Wiccan is one of my top 3 favorite characters of all time, and Hellstorm is somewhere on the list. In my own headcanon I have put Blade and Hellstorm on a team before, and I love that Wiccan has another spellcaster (with a demonic connection, no less) he can talk to in Hellstorm.

The title reminds me of Secret Defenders from the 90s. Having *a* Spider-Woman, and *a* Bucky, reminds me of Secret Defenders #1, with Julia Carpenter and Nomad on the front cover. And where Secret Defenders had Dr. Strange as the ever-useful spellcaster in the background, here this team has both Wiccan and Hellstorm. (I would have preferred the Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman and Nomad instead of Winter Soldier, but, alas.)

There is something refreshing about having a group of fighters, some of whom are supposed to be foul-mouthed and murderous, just fighting the good fight because they feel like they ought to. It feels wholesome. But not in a corny way.

I'm just baffled as to how this book came into existence. Did someone want to re-do Secret Defenders, but for some reason that title wasn't available anymore? And it seems like someone wanted to cash in on Avengers, because almost every character in this book has been an Avenger at some point or other. But, without using Captain America, Iron Man, or Thor? Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled. Those guys are way over-represented. I'm sick of them. I just can't believe Marvel created a book that would appeal to *me* instead of generic 12-year-old boys who don't know anything about comic book history.

Love you, Wiccan. Glad a gay guy is getting representation and treated as a main character. If the writers want my eternal adoration, I would appreciate if they showed Wiccan actually fighting some form of homophobia.

... Daimon needs his hair back, though.

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Secret...

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really impressed with the early issues. I especially enjoyed the character interactions. The is a motley crew for sure, so their different personalities anf group dynsmiv in trying to solve this mystery was what I liked the most about the series. By far. That seemed to gradually die. By the 4th issue, I was pretty bored with. And I read the 5th out of obligation. I won't be continuing the series.

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't even know what to think. Wasn't bad, had some funny moments, I didn't quite understand who the villains were (there's a rolling cast) and definitely didn't know what they wanted (besides a new place to live, how's that bad?), and what a truly, truly odd ensemble cast. Who is this lady from Asgard and how is she not Hela? I've read enough Marvel comics that I could understand the basic premise but anyone new to the genre, good luck! I spent most of the book wondering what the new plot points had to do with the previous plot points, and then deciding I didn't care. I think the fun here is in watching characters who would never be together ordinarily interact. Decent mix of queer and straight characters (coming along, there, FINALLY). There is also a gross out element that I could have done without, personally. I guess it's someone's cup of tea, though, or in this book's case, someone's pile of muck.

EDIT: Another reviewer referred to this comic as "horror." Ooooooooh. That makes sense.

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book really hard to follow. It feels as if at every other turn it takes a new direction and forgets what it was about. That lack of consistency is something that finally drove me off the series. I won’t stay longer even if the story (whatever it was), is definitely far from over.
Wiccan is the one character I was interested in, and Spider-Woman is also appealing to me; I wasn’t really rooting for the rest but wanted to get to know them better. Well, the book did very little to build any interest in the other characters, they actually behaved very two-dimensional and some of them ended being a bore (hello, Angela).
In the end, the book was a bit frustrating as the plot never moved forward, only in circles, and that’s when I decided it was about time to leave.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it's all right. Nothin' too spectacular.

[Alex Sarll]

One of those comics so obviously doomed from the off in today's marketplace that one oscillates between being glad it exists at all, and puzzled as to what the publisher thought they were doing. A fairly random bunch of heroes are found apparently attempting to burgle Avengers Mountain, except they've been framed by changelings left over from the War of the Realms, but they can't say this because being aware of the changelings makes you more susceptible, I think? This is not the first time a Tini Howard book has left me mostly enjoying myself without being entirely clear what's actually happening. So Blade, Avengers-affiliated, takes them under his wing and off they set to kick changeling arse. Yes, this premise would make the dormant Secret Avengers title a perfect fit. No, I have no idea why they went with a hardly storied name from some War Of The Realms spin-offs instead.

Some Marvel characters I love are here (Spider-Woman, Monica Rambeau, Satana), and some I don't generally rate are very entertaining too (Angela), mostly interacting in ways which are amusing yet plausible; it's not life-changing, but it's fun in a fashion that goes a long way to make me like a team book. Yes, there's perhaps too much emphasis on the magic-users needing to recharge, presumably as a simple way to stop them overpowering the story. And yes, Daimon Hellstrom's new look is terrible. But set against that, stuff like the Hellstrom siblings' nonchalant attitude to death (mildly bothersome, but definitely not on the level of someone seeing your browser history), or Bucky's predilection for packing a building with plastique in much the same way someone else might make sure they knew the bus routes, the affecting stories of past changeling violations which become even more so once revealed as fake memories... there's a lot to like here. I just wish this were still a marketplace where books like this could quietly continue for 30+ issues, building a following and a real head of steam. But then I wish an awful lot of things were otherwise than they are.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strikeforce is hectic and hard to follow, but it's pleasantly fun in equal measures. A gang of C-list heroes are teleported to a crime scene and accused of heisting deadly pathogens. To clear their name, they're going to need to team up to catch the real villains!

Or at least, that's the plan, which quickly goes off the rails. After several issues spent battling shape-shifting elves (for unclear reasons), the team abruptly shifts gears to fight...ghosts? Perhaps the second volume will clear up the numerous dangling plot threads? Or start fresh? (Maybe the latter option would be best)

I had a good time with the Strikeforce team, though I barely cared for the plot or the art. Borderline two-star read, but I guess I'm feeling generous because I just put the second volume on hold at the library.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get that the forming of the team is cliched but its also vital to make sense of why a teams forms. Here, Tini Howard throws characters together and readers just have to deal with there being no rhyme or reason. That being said, these characters played well off each other. I thought the dialogue was very good. I loved Angela, Blade, Wiccan, and Spider-Woman. The plot however is weak as their is too much secrecy for no reason and the antagonists are just poor versions of Skrulls. I liked German Perralta's art and thought he did a fine job. Overall, I'm not sure about this book as it was hyped as Asgard's X-Force. Its definitely not that but Howard's fun script is enough for me to check out the next volume.

[bri 🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

wait the strikeforce is the serve of all serves for a group

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far too many times we end with with Marvel "teams" that are just different heroes thrown together by chance. Sometimes they figure out a larger reason for them to continue working together. I don't think we've quite gotten to that point for this book and more of the focus has been on chasing down their antagonists and not much time on figuring out the team dynamic. Even the Strikeforce name is something that is mentioned in passing but is never fully agreed upon as a name, but sure.

I'm not sure what they're aiming for with this group as we haven't spent much time even just getting to know the characters. A lot of things rely on how familiar you are with the stories of the individual heroes from their own comics, which makes things even more confusing to the newer reader.

I hope they figure things out sooner rather than later - it still surprises me that this is an ongoing comic and not some limited series.

[Diana M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up solely due to the fact that Wiccan is one of my all-time favorite characters and I ended up loving it for everyone. The plot is a little confusing and not-well thought out (I'm still not sure why it was these characters specifically who ended up on the team together), but the dialogue and character interaction made up for it. I found this book to be genuinely funny and engaging, from the Winter Soldier and Spectrum playing table football to Wiccan and Daimon Helstrom's bits about magic. It gave all the characters their little moments to shine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The one thing I don't understand, however, is why Daimon Hellstrom is bald. It just doesn't look good on him.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceeded my expectations. I was originally here 80% for Billy, 20% for Jessica, 0% for literally anything or anyone else in the book. To my surprise, a team with the two of them, Blade, Spectrum, Bucky, Angela, and Daimon Hellstrom works shockingly well. And it's kind of refreshing to have a spooky, creepy stuff fighter squad, especially since it didn't plaster Avengers on the cover. The story takes a serious curve in the last issue, and I'm not sure yet if I like it, but I was really enjoying this book right up to that moment.

[Sleepseeker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this because it has some heroes that I like in the team line-up. It was just okay and weird. The story felt random and that it could of been done with any set of team. The story isn't even that great. I'll probably read on to finish the series, since there is only one more volume but I think this one could be skip.

It could be read if you like bizarre stories about body swapping. It's always possible I'll change my mind about the overall story after reading volume 2, but I have a feeling it won't.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I belatedly found out that Wiccan had fairly recently (within the last couple of years) been a character in a team book, and just read this. Some of the other characters I was relatively familiar with, and some I didn't know much about. Daimon Hellstrom talks about how he used to care about how he looked. I appreciated that version of him. Not that I've read a whole lot of comic books with him in it, but I've read several where he makes an appearance. I remembered seeing Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel in an issue or two of the Uncanny X-Men in the early 1980s or so. (Seeing Carol Danvers' appearances in early 1980s Uncanny X-Men issues is why I kept calling her and her movie "Ms. Marvel." My Captain Marvel was Monica Rambeau.)

The villains sort of reminded me of Mother from the second run of Young Avengers, where adults didn't see that she was a parasite. In this case, Blade told this thrown-together team that they couldn't tell the main group of Avengers about this bunch of evil creatures from Svartalfheim. I had heard of Blade, but just as a cultural phenomenon sort of superhero, not from reading any comic books with him in it. Amusingly, he comments that Billy is "full of sass." Hulking had politely agreed to be blindfolded and tied up while the other members of the group took care of the changeling creature that had replaced Billy. Of course, both Teddy and Billy are totally in character in being upset at the idea of the other being in danger.

At least a couple of the Young Avengers had met Bucky some time ago. I'd read Captain America: The Winter Soldier and very recently, the hilarious Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier. I thought that Bucky was acting pretty much in character, too, from what I could tell. I didn't see why Wiccan necessarily counted as one of a group of characters that had darkness in their souls. But I was entertained by some of the interactions between these characters. For me, it was certainly worth reading.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hulkling is only in a few panels but, my God, he's adorable.
On with the actual story. Magic, shapeshifters, something to do with black bifrost.
A pretty good team for me. Blade is probably my least favourite of the group (sorry, I have trouble disassociating him with Wesley Snipes, who is a dickwad) with Bucky and Wiccan vying for the top spot.
Art is great in some places kinda sketchy in others.

[Brannigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m on the fence about this one. I liked parts of it, but the story holes are pretty big so unless this is a long form story I’m not sure if it can be salvaged. The art for the first few issues wasn’t bad but also not amazing. The last issue was much better. I liked it enough that I’ll read volume two but if that continues to leave the story looking like Swiss cheese I’ll drop it.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this better because some of these characters are my absolute favorites (Bucky! Angela! JESSICA DREW! I've even missed Wiccan). However I was not impressed with the the storyline too much, and then at the very end when they added the second 'problem' without cohesively figuring out what to do about the first, I don't think it worked well for the story.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't grab me nearly as much as Howard's Death's Head series did. Was still interesting, but I think all the Asgardian Continuity Nonsense (TM) this book is mired in is harming my enjoyment. Probably would be more interesting if I'd read all the Thor and Angela and War of the Realms stuff that this is referring to. Which is too bad, I'd've preferred if this could stand better on its own.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently ordered a copy of volume 2 from BookOutlet and in preparation for that I figured I better go ahead and read this. It was fun. Different. Didn’t know there were other shapeshifting creatures in the marvel verse. Bucky was hilarious as was Jessica and Monica and Wiccan. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Tini Howard proves that she has one of the best ears for dialogue/ character understandings in the biz. The regular art team is beyond exceptional...every panel is a wow.

I just wish they’d called it DEFENDERS.

[Jayda]

To be honest, I started reading because of Spectrum and stayed for the group. It's a really good team. The enemies.....I can take em or leave em. I am excited to see what they do with Moonstone, though. Monica and Karla have quite a history.